Expandable boat

ABSTRACT

An attachment for an open boat which increases the carrying capacity and stability of the vessel without altering the basic structure. An open topped extension is removably secured to the after portion of the boat and is retained in position by a combination of fasteners securing it to the transom and forwardly extending portions secured to the gunwales. The attachment may include a forward deck and windshield to provide weather protection to the occupants.

United States Patent 11 1 Ivy I 54 I EXPANDABLE BOAT [76] Inventor:Jessie T. Ivy, Rt. 1. Box 350.

Anacortes. Wash. 98221 [22] Filed: Nov. 12, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 414.805

[52] U.S. CI. 9/6

[51] Int. Cl. B63b 3/08 [58] Field of Search 9/6. 6.5. 2 C. 2 R. 2 S.9/1 R; 114/65 R, 71

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1.712.167 5/1929 Pontikis9/6 2.764,]19 9/1956 Sigler 9/6 3,266,067 8/1966 Windlc 9/2 S 3.372.4083/1968 Luger et a1. 9/6

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 2.020.248 11/1971 Germany 9/6 1 1 Apr.15, 1975 Primary Examiner-Trygvc M. BliX Assistanl Examiner-Stuart M.Goldstein Attorney, Agent. or Firm-Seed, Berry, Vernon & Baynham [57]ABSTRACT An attachment for an open boat which increases the carryingcapacity and stability of the vessel without altering the basicstructure. An open topped extension is removably secured to the afterportion of the boat and is retained in position by a combination offasteners securing it to the transom and forwardly extending portionssecured to the gunwales. The attachment may include a forward deck andwindshield to provide weather protection to the occupants.

7 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures FISH-475M931 55:5

SHEET 1 0F 2 FIGO 11 FIGO 3 Men 2 FIG 5 EXPANDABLE BOAT BACKGROUND OFTHE INVENTION I There are a large numberof people who own small. openboats who would like to retain the portability of their vessels and yethave the advantage of greater car rying capacity. some protection fromthe weather and greater stability. A further incentive lies in thedesire to keep the capital investment to a minimum. Normally. in orderto gain stability and greater carrying capacity. one must give up theportability and low investment and acquire a larger boat.

Attempts have been made in the past to convert one type of boat toanother and some of these have been quite successful from a utilitystandpoint but have not been well received in the market place. Further.various methods of manufacturing boats are considered to beprior art inthe fact. that they may utilize some of the fabricationsconceptsexpressly used herein to achieve the d esired. result of a larger, morestable boat without greatly increasing the capital investment ordecreasing the portability of the original structure.

The prior art known to the present inventor includes U.S. Pat. No.2.376.753. granted to Bowen on May 22. I945. which teaches the method Iof fabricating a molded boat of several different elements which arethen secured together to form the desired embodiment of the completedstructure. US. Pat. No. 2,866,985. granted Jan. 6. I959. to Blackmore.teaches the concept of a plastic molded boat which includes an integralportion filled with closed cell foam for flotation. US. Pat. No.2.999.253. granted Sept. 12.. 1961. to Lewis. teaches the method ofconverting a canoe to a kayak by adding a covering or shielding portionover the open top to keep the water out in a manner similar to atraditional kayak.

US. Pat. No. 3.I29.443. granted Apr. 2]. 1964. to Maturi. et al..teaches the concept of a convertible boat and includes the possibilityof extending the length of the boat by adding sections fore and/or aftthereby enabling the same boat to be used as a motor boat. sail boat orthe like. U.S. Pat. No. 3.133.294. granted May I"). I964. to Kunz.teaches the method of fabricating a kayak type boat wherein'the bottomor main. hull portion is molded in one piece and the top. shieldingportion is molded as a second piece and the two elements are thensecured together to form a weather-tight seal. U.S. Pat. No. 3.372.408.granted Mar. I2. I969. to Luger. et al. is yet another teaching offabricating a boat using a sectional approach wherein the deck and sideportions may be either-a single unit or a plurality of units which issecured to a hull. U.S-. Pat. No. 3.702.485. granted Nov. 14. 1972 toThompson. teaches the concept of placing an outboard engine in a wellwithin a boat so that it looks like an inboard boat or aninboard-outboard boat. To achieve this disceptive appearance. the rearend of the boat is actually extended beyond where it normally wouldterminate. U.S. Pat. No. 3.726.245. granted Apr. 10. I973, to Critcher.teaches the concept of taking a small sailing dinghy and placing itbetween a pair of stabilizing and supporting pontoons. thereby enablingthe boat to be utilized in inclement weather and to carry more weightwithout danger. US. Pat. No. 3.538.877, granted Nov. l0. I970, to Moore.teaches the concept of securing two side portions to asmall boat,thereby converting a conventional boat to a'catamaran.vU.S. Pat. No.3.69l.572.

granted Sept. I9. 1972. to Yannes. .lr.. teaches the utilization of aremoveable top deck attached to the gunwales of a canoe. including foamflotation for converting the canoe to a kayak type structure.

With the above-noted prior art and problems in mind. it is an object ofthe present invention to provide an extension or expanding kit for useupon a convenetional rowboat or dinghy which extends the size of theboat and thereby increases its stability and carrying capacity.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an expandingunit for a dinghy or small rowboat which not only increases the carryingcapacity but also includes means secured to the gunwales to stabilizethe extension means and provide some weather protection.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an attachmentfor use on a dinghy or small boat which increases the size of the boat.provides some weather protection by adding a short fore deck andincludes a windshield. The unit may be readily detached from the boatand the two portions may be thus transported on top of an automobile orthe like.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide means forsecuring an extension or expandible section to an open boat hull. Thefastening means includes a rigid portion which extends beneath the hullof a boat and in combination with the aft extension and the side railportion extending along the gunwales forms a rigid loop completelysurrounding the main hull of the boat. This rigid loop provides anextremely secure addition to the boat itself and further provides amounting means for lifting wings or the like.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to use the portion ofthe fastening means which extends beneath the hull of the boat as a baseand supporting means for an enlarged supporting ski which extendssubstantially the length of the hull.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational viewshowing the basic boat hull in phantom with the inventive extensionwhich provides additional load carrying capacity and stability.

FIG. 2 is a section through the gunwale of the boat showing one means ofinterlocking the extension with the gunwale and simultaneously providingadditional flotation.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view showing the inventive extension in positionupon the hull of a boat.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along lines 44 of FIG. 6 showing meansof interconnecting the extension and the gunwale of the boat.

FIG. 5 is a section taken along line 55 showing the interconnectionwhich may be used with certain hull structures.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of the inventionwherein a rigid element extends beneath the bottom of the hull and formsa complete rigid loop around the boat when used in connection with theextension.

FIG. 7 is a section taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is anenlarged view of the hydrofoil type wing as seen along line 8-8 of FIG.6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS As seen in FIG. I, the basic hull2, shown in phantom. not being an integral part of the presentinvention. is

generally seaworthy and very usable for calm water and small loads. Thepresent invention contemplates extending the length of the basic hull bysecuring a section to the after portion. as well as providing someweather protection by providing a forward deck. thereby making the basichull a far more universal structure.

The addition or extension to the basic hull includes a hollow rearportion 4 having a bottom 6. a front generally planar portion 8 and arear portion I capable of receiving the mounting of an outboard motor12. The front portion 8 is designed to fit tightly against the stem 9 ofthe basic hull and. when bolted there. will form the extension.

The top portion of the rear- 4 has interconnected therewith a pair offorwardly extending side elements 13 having an outwardly extendingflange I4 and upwardly extending side rails 16. The upwardly extendingside rails l'6'and the ledge 14 extend forwardly and are adapted tointerlockwith the boat hull. as explained hereinaftersThe forwardlyextending portion may terminate at the bow of the boat in a small deckarea 18 which will provide some weather protection to a normally openboat. As desired. the side rails 16 can extend smoothly upwardly toterminate in a windshield portion 20 just behind-the deck I8 and mayinclude as a portion thereof side windows 22. As will be readilyapparent. the addition of the windshield 20 and the side rails l6,-aswellas the windows 22, enables the operator to utilize a canvas cover.thus increasing his foul weather protection. As an alternate structure.the

flanges andside rails may extend forward only a sufficient amount toassure a rigid interlock.

Referring now to FIG. 2. it can be seen that in one embodiment theflange 14 of the forwardly extending portion includes as an integralpart thereof an optional foam flotation 24 which extends down within thegun- Wale-adjacent thereto and mounting blocks 26 and 28. The flange 14extends out over the existing superstructure 30, which includes anintegral bead 32 along its upper edge. The block 26 abuts the interiorof the gunwale and the block 28 is placed in position along the exteriorof the gunwale and secured there by means of a screw 34 or othersuitable fastener. As is readily apparent. once the block 28 is securedin position and serves to envelope bead 32, the flange 14, as well therest of the additional structure is locked to the gunwale.Theinterconnection between the reinforcing bead 32 and the side ledge 14not only serves to provide additional securement for the extension butalso serves to increase the rigidity and strengthen the gunwale itself.

As seen in FIG. 3, the stern 9 of the boat 2 is slightly larger than theextension 4 so that the extension will not create excessive drag uponthe movement of the hull itslef. Further to be seen in FIG. 3, thelateral extension or flange 14 forms a unit which ties the rearwardextension 4 to the main hull portion 2.

It is to be understood that the gunwale structure. as seen in FIG. 2, isrepresentative of only one style of gunwale and reinforcing beadcombination on the market. As seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the gunwale mayterminate in an outwardly rolled loop or roll 42. in which case thetransverse horizontal member or flange 14 may have a complementary loop44. The loop or roll 44 interconnects with the loop 42, therebyeliminating the need for the clamping blocks and mechanical fastening.At portions where the transom is relatively III straight and if theupper portion. i.e.. the transverse member or flange l4 and the siderails 16. are not made in a single unit. the transverse member I4 mayterminate in a more complete loop 46 which locks beneath the loop 42 ofthe gunwale 40.

As seen in FIG. 6. the rear extension 68. as well as the side rails54.56 and forward decking 60. can be linked together as'a single unit bymeans of a rigid member extending beneath the entire length of the hull.As seen in this figure. the hull. denoted 52. supports the side rails54,56 which extend forward to include side windows 58. A front section60 includes a foredeck 62 and a windshield 64. The aft section 66terminates just forward of the transom of the hull 52 and includes as anintegral part thereof the rear side rail 54 and the downwardly extendinghollow portion 68. The utilization of three sections along the side54,56 and 58. as described hereinabove and depicted in this Figureenables the basic invention to be applied to boats of different lengthswithout the necessity of forming new molds. The central section 56 maybe varied in length to accommodate various boat lengths withoutmodification of the basic fore and aft sections. It is to be understoodthat the three sections 54.56.58 will be interlocked in an appropriatefashion to assure rigidity and vibration free installation.

It is to be noted that. as seen in this Figure. section lines 4-4 and5--5 denote two possible areas where different interlocking structures.as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, could be utilized. The central section ofthetransom below section 54 is sufficiently straight that it could includethe complete wrap as shown in FIG. 5. It is necessary to have a lesscomplete wrap in the bow section of the hull to permit the adding orremoval of this section as the necessary addition to or removalrequiring an outward flexure of portion 44.

A rigid member 70 extends from a fastening point 72 upon the deckdownwardly passing beneath the hull of the boat along the keel linerearwardly to its aftermost position 74 where it is secured to the rearsection 68. The rigid member includes spacing elements 76 and 78 whichare adjustable in length to assure that there is a solid interconnectionbetween the keel and the rigid member so the elements will serve asintegral members.

Included on the rigid member 70 are a plurality of wings 80. As bestseen in FIGS. 7 and 8, the wings 80 extend outwardly. essentiallyparallel to the bottom of the hull 52, and provide lift when the boat isin motion moving the hull up out of the water. greatly reducing thedrag. As seen in FIG. 6, the regular waterline. i.e.. that at which theboat would ride without the wings. is denoted as RWL and the waterlineachieved when underway with the utilization of the wings is designatedWWL. The wings 80 are secured to the rigid member 70 by means of bolts82 passing through flanges upon the wings themselves. as well as throughthe rigid member 70. If the rigid member 70 is in the form of a pipe theinner surfaces of the wings 80 would be made to conform for the utmostrigidity.

As shown in phantom in FIGS. 6 and 7, the rigid element 70 may alsoserve as a supporting element for a large ski element 90. The ski wouldbe in the form of a wide solid element having the general profileconfiguration of a snow or water ski and be utilized to lift the hulland reduce drag. The ski would be secured to both the rigid element 70and wings 80 by means of bolts or the like which would pass throughbores 92.93 and may well be countersunk.

Attention is directed to FIG. 7 wherein the aftermost portion of theextension is reduced in depth as at 96 to accommodate an outboard enginehaving a standard shaft length. The stem 53 of the main hull portion isretained at its normal height for safety. If the extension 68 does notinclude a lowered stern. a motor having a long shaft will be utilized.

Thus it can be seen that the present invention provides a ready additonto a small boat. greatly increasing its boat capacity as well as itsstability and ability to handle rough weather.

The embodiments of the invention in which a particular property or priiledge is claimed are defined as follows:

1. An attachment for extending the size and loadcarrying capacity of aboat having a substantially flat transom and a reinforcing means at thegunwale comprising:

a generally hollow extension element including a bottom a forward wall.a rear wall and a pair of interconnecting sides forming an upwardlyopening main body which generally continues the lines of the hull of theboat.

means detachably securing the extension element with said forward wallcontiguous with the transom of the boat. and

a forwardly extending portion integral with the extension elementincluding a deck portion and side rails along the gunwale of the boat.said rails mechanically interlocking with the gunwales.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1 and further including a windshield portionextending upwardly from and interconnected with the side rails and deckportion.

3. Apparatus as in claim 1 and further including flotation meansintegral with said deck portion and side rails.

4. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the extension element includes meansfor mounting an outboard motor.

5. Apparatus as in claim I wherein the securing means includes a rigidelongated element having its first end secured to the extension elementand extending forwardly beneath the boat adjacent the keel thereofhaving its second end secured to the bow of the boat.

6. Apparatus as in claim 5 wherein the elongated element includesoutwardly extending wings which serve to lift the boat and reduce dragwhen under way.

7. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the side rails and deck are formed insections which are telescopically fitted onto the reinforcing means uponthe gunwale.

1. An attachment for extending the size and load-carrying capacity of aboat having a substantially flat transom and a reinforcing means at thegunwale comprising: a generally hollow extension element including abottom a forward wall, a rear wall and a pair of interconnecting sidesforming an upwardly opening main body which generally continues thelines of the hull of the boat, means detachably securing the Extensionelement with said forward wall contiguous with the transom of the boat,and a forwardly extending portion integral with the extension elementincluding a deck portion and side rails along the gunwale of the boat,said rails mechanically interlocking with the gunwales.
 2. Apparatus asin claim 1 and further including a windshield portion extending upwardlyfrom and interconnected with the side rails and deck portion. 3.Apparatus as in claim 1 and further including flotation means integralwith said deck portion and side rails.
 4. Apparatus as in claim 1wherein the extension element includes means for mounting an outboardmotor.
 5. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the securing means includes arigid elongated element having its first end secured to the extensionelement and extending forwardly beneath the boat adjacent the keelthereof having its second end secured to the bow of the boat. 6.Apparatus as in claim 5 wherein the elongated element includes outwardlyextending wings which serve to lift the boat and reduce drag when underway.
 7. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the side rails and deck areformed in sections which are telescopically fitted onto the reinforcingmeans upon the gunwale.